05-09-2024, 06:08 AM
RE: Struggling to treat UARS with BIPAP
Hi,
I'm also awaiting a reply from SleepRider. I'm not sure if he's on vacation. Thanks for the details about Nurosym; it looks promising. I'm not sure what is going on with me except that sleep apnea definitely is a precursor. I also used ASMR audios for possibly 5 years (almost every night) and i think they may have induced overexcitation of my Sympathetic system; i stopped using them in November 2022 and in late December, or early January 2023, my "flutter" sensation returned. It's not a cardiac "flutter" per se though it seems connected to my heart. It seems more likely that it is n autonomic response induced by OSA; because i was not using the CPAP for probably 4 out of 7 days for a long time (i felt no need to use it as i was perfectly well and fully functional).
So, it appears my untreated apneas, as in the past, eventually irritated my heart and now i am dealing again with the same reflex, automatic reaction which occurs now every time i start trying to nap or doze, once my heart rate begins to drop towards 45.
Unfortunately, when i lived in the UK in 2006, i was put on Propranalol (120 mg) daily for my severe anxiety relating to "chest discomfort." It is not "discomfort" now but a "rolling/fluttering" sensation which, at it's worst, feels like what Afib or Aflutter might feel like (i have not been diagnosed with either, though i have seen many Cardiologists in four countries over 27 years about this).
So, to summarize, i suffer also from severe allergies and a deviated septum; these make my sleep cycle difficult at the moment, because my nose seals up pretty much completely on the left side and my current Sleep Tech advised me to mouth tape, which i have been doing for maybe two months. The problem is, if i have a blocked nose, i might wake up struggling to breath against the mouth tape -- inducing the worst form of "flutter."
I use a Resmed F20 or F30 Full Face Mask; the reason i switched from a nasal pillows mask was that there were a lot of leaks. However, i am now wondering if mouth tape is a good idea at all. For 80% of the 12+ years i have been using PAP, i never used mouth tape (but, then again, maybe that was a bad thing!).
The Nurosym device looks promising; but i don't really have another $1000 available right now after buying a new BiPAP ($2200) and going to see several specialists. I am self-employed and my wife's income is what supports me right now (though i worked for about 26 years before last year).
Though i have trialed the new Resvent BiPAP AS/T machine for more than two months, and we have made numerous changes to the settings, it often gives me <1 and even 0.00 on the AHI numbers; but it doesn't (yet) diminish the "flutter". The last time i went through this, i think it took a year or two to fully resolve the "chest discomfort" and severe anxiety, because it takes a long time for the Sympathetic nervous system to "let go and let God" (at least, in me) and so i will continue to use the BiPAP until i see full recovery.
My mood and daytime sleepiness have improved a great deal. The thing is, i am down to about 20 mg Propranalol a day (trying to stop it altogether after 16 years) and, since it reduced anxiety and blood pressure, it has proven difficult to get off it completely. I believe the beta blocker was what masked everything for many years and allowed me to live a full and active life; but as i get older, i am not so sure it's a good idea to be on it, since in some people it can cause heart issues.
Cheers!
Paul
I'm also awaiting a reply from SleepRider. I'm not sure if he's on vacation. Thanks for the details about Nurosym; it looks promising. I'm not sure what is going on with me except that sleep apnea definitely is a precursor. I also used ASMR audios for possibly 5 years (almost every night) and i think they may have induced overexcitation of my Sympathetic system; i stopped using them in November 2022 and in late December, or early January 2023, my "flutter" sensation returned. It's not a cardiac "flutter" per se though it seems connected to my heart. It seems more likely that it is n autonomic response induced by OSA; because i was not using the CPAP for probably 4 out of 7 days for a long time (i felt no need to use it as i was perfectly well and fully functional).
So, it appears my untreated apneas, as in the past, eventually irritated my heart and now i am dealing again with the same reflex, automatic reaction which occurs now every time i start trying to nap or doze, once my heart rate begins to drop towards 45.
Unfortunately, when i lived in the UK in 2006, i was put on Propranalol (120 mg) daily for my severe anxiety relating to "chest discomfort." It is not "discomfort" now but a "rolling/fluttering" sensation which, at it's worst, feels like what Afib or Aflutter might feel like (i have not been diagnosed with either, though i have seen many Cardiologists in four countries over 27 years about this).
So, to summarize, i suffer also from severe allergies and a deviated septum; these make my sleep cycle difficult at the moment, because my nose seals up pretty much completely on the left side and my current Sleep Tech advised me to mouth tape, which i have been doing for maybe two months. The problem is, if i have a blocked nose, i might wake up struggling to breath against the mouth tape -- inducing the worst form of "flutter."
I use a Resmed F20 or F30 Full Face Mask; the reason i switched from a nasal pillows mask was that there were a lot of leaks. However, i am now wondering if mouth tape is a good idea at all. For 80% of the 12+ years i have been using PAP, i never used mouth tape (but, then again, maybe that was a bad thing!).
The Nurosym device looks promising; but i don't really have another $1000 available right now after buying a new BiPAP ($2200) and going to see several specialists. I am self-employed and my wife's income is what supports me right now (though i worked for about 26 years before last year).
Though i have trialed the new Resvent BiPAP AS/T machine for more than two months, and we have made numerous changes to the settings, it often gives me <1 and even 0.00 on the AHI numbers; but it doesn't (yet) diminish the "flutter". The last time i went through this, i think it took a year or two to fully resolve the "chest discomfort" and severe anxiety, because it takes a long time for the Sympathetic nervous system to "let go and let God" (at least, in me) and so i will continue to use the BiPAP until i see full recovery.
My mood and daytime sleepiness have improved a great deal. The thing is, i am down to about 20 mg Propranalol a day (trying to stop it altogether after 16 years) and, since it reduced anxiety and blood pressure, it has proven difficult to get off it completely. I believe the beta blocker was what masked everything for many years and allowed me to live a full and active life; but as i get older, i am not so sure it's a good idea to be on it, since in some people it can cause heart issues.
Cheers!
Paul
